Harry Potter and Gen Y

At the risk of sounding like a geek (I am okay with being a geek) I am a Harry Potter fan. I picked up the latest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last Saturday and had read it by Sunday night. What is it about these books that resonates with young and old alike?

For me I have always liked mythology and fantasy novels. I think there are lots of things to learn from stories. In this last book of the Harry Potter series I found myself amazed at the vision and skill of author JK Rowling. Her ability to weave a story that is both gripping and full of life instruction is enviable.

To me the last book had a most beautiful moral. I will share it here without giving away the ending but for me what I got as the underlying message of all of the Harry Potter books is that you cannot truly live unless you first face your own death. Further to that death affects those left behind on many levels.

I know for myself in the losses I have had in my life it is through those that I lost that I began to rethink my own living and make new choices to live more fully.

This book speaks to Generation Y because of its message of hope, magic and the power of loyalty. In my books Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has lots to teach all of us.

2010 Olympic Employees Mostly Gen Xers

In the Vancouver Sun Monday July 23rd there was an article on Gen Xers making up 60% of the employees of the 2010 Olympics being held right here in beautiful Vancouver BC. This did not suprise me in the least. I have written and talked about the fact that Gen X absoutely love project work, love meaninful work, and love to collaborate as a team. The observations by the VP of Human Resources for the 2010 Olympic Games include that the younger set does a lot more social networking than their boomer peers which makes them more resourceful in a different way. They use the relationships they have built to gettheir work done. Instead of treating their departments like silos within an organization, they have no qualms about calling up or emailing or texting the person in the know in another department if it will expediate a task. This is a good thing in an environment that has many different function areas.

Those who have chosen to work for the 2010 Olympics know that it is project work and for that reason they are attracted to it. Who isn’t attracted to being part of something with high visibility such as the Olympics. The experience not to mention good resume that comes out of it is invaluable. With organizations struggling to attract talent it is important to remember employees want to be part of something big and meaningful. What can your company do to reinstate its message that there is a bigger cause for the company and the work that it does?